How do endnotes work

What if I am citing an article from a scholarly journal? An endnote is source citation that refers the readers to a specific place at the end of the paper where they can find out the source of the information or words quoted or mentioned in the paper. When using endnotes, your quoted or paraphrased sentence or summarized material is followed by a superscript number.

Example :. Let's say that you have quoted a sentence from Lloyd Eastman's history of Chinese social life. You have written this sentence:. According to Eastman, "The family was the central core of the Chinese social system. Analysis of the example :. Notice that there is a superscript number after the quotation.

You insert the number by using your word-processor's "insert reference" or citation function. The superscript number corresponds to a note placed at the end of the paper which is called an endnote. Your word-processor will create a note number and a space at the end of your paper, where you then fill in the citation.

This endnote lets the reader know where you found your information. Note numbers are sequential: first note in your paper is numbered 1, the second note is 2 even if you are quoting the same source as in 1 , etc.

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Easy to follow. No jargon. They can follow all punctuation marks except dashes. In general, to avoid interrupting the continuity of the text, footnote numbers are placed at the end of the sentence, clause, or phrase containing the quoted or paraphrased material.

Depending on the writing style used in your class, endnotes may take the place of a list of resources cited in your paper or they may represent non-bibliographic items, such as comments or observations, followed by a separate list of references to the sources you cited and arranged alphabetically by the author's last name. If you are unsure about how to use endnotes, consult with your professor. In general, the use of footnotes in most academic writing is now considered a bit outdated and has been replaced by endnotes, which are much easier to place in your paper, even with the advent of word processing programs.

However, some disciplines, such as law and history, still predominantly utilize footnotes. Consult with your professor about which form to use and always remember that, whichever style of citation you choose, apply it consistently throughout your paper.

NOTE: Always think critically about the information you place in a footnote or endnote. Ask yourself, is this supplementary or tangential information that would otherwise disrupt the narrative flow of the text or is this essential information that I should integrate into the main text?

If you are not sure, it's better to work it into the text. Too many notes implies a disorganized paper. Cermak, Bonni and Jennifer Troxell. History Division; Hale, Ali.

Should You Use Footnotes or Endnotes? Purdue University; Lunsford, Andrea A. The St. Martin's Handbook.